The small sedan carried the two of us back to the fu leisurely. Because of my womanly status, he was too lazy to get out of the sedan. The four sedan bearers had to grit their teeth and spend a great deal of effort to send us directly to the entrance of Hibiscus Courtyard.
/p
When Prince Yue helped me get out of the palanquin, I especially stole a glance at the palanquin bearers twice. They were all red in the face and were half dead from exhaustion. My heart was moved and I hurriedly asked Jiang Gui to wrap a few large envelopes. Feeling extremely guilty, I went to pay them double the amount of hard work.
/p
Jiang Gui accepted my task and went to do it. A familiar servant girl in the courtyard ran over and handed me an invitation. She said that it was from Madam Yan. She said that a prestigious noble lady in the capital had organized a play party at the Imperial Uncle's residence in the Province Yan. She wanted to invite the womenfolk of the Province Yue Residence to watch the play together.
/p
I took the invitation and entered the room. Prince Yue ran into the inner room to change his clothes. Right now, there was no one around. I took a cup of tea from the main seat and carefully read the invitation Madam Yan had sent.
/p
The servant girl was standing in the hall. I asked her directly, "Who sent this invitation?"
/p
"Replying to the Princess, it was personally sent by the Head Steward of the Province Yan Residence."
/p
I continued to ask her, "Did she say who she wanted to invite?"
/p
"Generally, when the womenfolk of the capital are invited to banquets, the ones invited are the female masters of the residence. Since the Head Steward of the Province Yan Residence personally sent an invitation, the one he invited was naturally the Princess of the same status."
/p
I picked up the invitation. It had two names written on it. The Princess Consort Yue and the Concubine of the Prince of Yue had agreed to attend the banquet. I didn't know what Madam Yan's intentions were. I also didn't know if it was Madam Yan's idea or if it was the idea of the Empress who had a headache.
/p
I asked her again, "When did you receive the invitation?"
/p
The maidservant replied, "What a coincidence. I heard from the head housekeeper that the Province Yan's head housekeeper who delivered the invitation had just left when Wang Ye and Wang Fei returned."
/p
The timing was coincidental, so it was very likely that it was the Empress' orders.
/p
I didn't like this kind of banquet with ulterior motives, so I said to the servant girl, "Go and tell the Head Steward to send a few capable and respectable servants to report back to Madam Yan. Tell her that my body is unwell and it is inconvenient for me to go out. I won't be going to the play tomorrow."
/p
"Yes."
/p
Still worried, I exhorted, "Imperial Uncle's family is honorable, and the daughter of his family is sitting on the phoenix chair in the palace. If we go back to his family, you must send two capable servants."
/p
The young maidservant obediently replied, "Yes." Just as she was about to withdraw, I suddenly realized that something was wrong. I hurriedly stopped her and said, "Wait a moment!"
/p
The little maid obediently returned to her original position.
/p
I said, "Since there are two people invited on this invitation, I won't take it seriously. Send this invitation to Consort Xian of Tsukasawa Dō. Her body hasn't been well recently, and she doesn't like to move. I remember that before she got married, she loved to watch plays at her maternal home. Ask her if she wants to go. "
/p
The little maidservant took the invitation from my hand, and looked at me from the corner of her eyes. She looked at me a few times, as if she had something to say but didn't dare to say it. I called her with a smile, and said to her, "Could it be that I am a domineering Second Master in your heart? If you have something to say, just say it. Whether I listen or not, it's my business. "
/p
The young maidservant said, "Then this servant will say it. Wangfei is kind-hearted, and because of her blood relationship with Consort Xian, she always thinks about Consort Xian. But there is no reason for the servant to not go. If Consort Xian doesn't understand the rules and really accepts this invitation, then tomorrow she will go in the name of the Province Yue. If the Marquises' wives look down on Consort Xian for not following the rules, then it's a small matter if they talk behind Wangfei's back, saying that Wangfei doesn't understand the rules is a big matter. "
/p
I looked at the maidservant with surprise. Although she was young, her words were clear and logical. I first changed the topic and asked her, "What is your name? Are you from a family?"
/p
"Replying to Wangfei, this servant is called Xiao Yu. I don't have the fortune to be born from a family. I am a servant that Wangye bought three months ago to marry Wangfei."
/p
I was also very pleased with her reasoning for entering the residence. I said, "Xiao Yu, this name is very plain. I'm afraid it won't be able to withstand your eloquence. However, since you have chosen this name, I will let you have it for now. In the future, if there comes a day when you wish to change your name, just tell me. I will make the decision for you to change it."
/p
Xiao Yu raised her head and smiled at me, "This servant thanks Wangfei."
/p
I was also happy. Although Jiang Gui was a capable servant, there were some trivial matters that she couldn't handle. Now that I found a strong maidservant, it would be easier for me to use her.
/p
Xiao Yu's happiness didn't last long before she stopped herself. She asked again with a serious face, "Wangfei, do I still need to send this invitation to the Tsukasawa Dō?"
/p
I asked her, "Can you read?"
/p
"Before my family was ruined, my parents doted on me and taught this servant a few lines of the Three Character Classic. I can read four or five characters."
/p
I was relieved. It was only four or five words, so she should be able to read the entire text. I told her to open the post. As expected, Xiao Yu's face darkened as soon as she saw the banquet guest's name. She looked at the post again and confirmed it before replying to me, "Wangfei, this post, this post is not in accordance with the rules."
/p
Even this servant could see that this invitation was not in accordance with the rules. It seems that the Province Yan was really forced.
/p
I snorted and said, "I don't know what the Province Yan's people are thinking. They actually did such a shameless thing. Since they don't care about their face, why should I care about their face? Since I invited a Consort Xian, if the Consort Xian is willing, she can take the invitation from the Province Yan. The noblewomen all have brains. Gossip is like a prairie fire. But we are standing upright. Even if it burns, it won't burn us. "
/p
Xiao Yu's face relaxed. "Wangfei is wise."
/p
"Take the invitation," I specifically ordered, "and carefully observe the Consort Xian's reaction."
/p
Xiao Yu nodded. "This servant understands."
/p
The Yue Wangye had probably been listening for some time in the inner room. He took off his vermillion court robes and changed into a light and simple cyan silk robe. With his hands clasped behind his back, he leisurely walked out. I hurriedly and attentively brought a cup of hot tea over, saying, "It's almost noon. Compared to the small kitchen, lunch has already been prepared. Has Wangye eaten?"
/p
"It doesn't matter if I've eaten. The key is whether you've eaten or not."
/p
I rubbed my stomach. Ever since I was pulled out of the quilt by an imperial decree in the morning, my stomach only had two pieces of dessert that I had eaten in the Empress' bedchamber. But how long could these two pieces of dessert support my body? I've been hungry for a long time.
/p
Prince Yue looked at my movements and knew the answer. With a slightly reproachful tone, he said, "When I saw you working just now, I thought you had already eaten."
/p
I hurriedly waved my hands. "No, no. But when I'm busy, I can't feel the hunger."
/p
Prince Yue personally sent someone to deliver the meal. Afterwards, he walked over and said to me, "You shouldn't have to worry about the matters of the imperial court. However, after thinking about it just now, I'm afraid that some matters will still implicate you. I'll give you an explanation now. It'll make it easier for you to make decisions in the future. "
/p
"Your Highness, just say it."
/p
Prince Yue said, "This matter is related to the Tang family. Although you and I both know that the Tang family doesn't have much to do with you, and you don't have to put on a sad face in front of the Tang family, in the eyes of outsiders, you are the daughter of the Tang family. In the eyes of Imperial Father, you are a chess piece that he must use. "
/p
I first asked, "What is the fate of the Tang family now?"
/p
"The Tangzou family, Tang Chengjue, and Tang Min are dead. Imperial Father only stripped them of their official positions and buried them in white clothes. The remaining four branches of Imperial Father's family are still alive, a total of three families. They will be executed tomorrow at noon. The three maternal families and the two wives' families are involved in Guan Zhongsheng Village. Imperial Father didn't give an imperial edict."
/p
I smiled and asked, "If there's no imperial edict, then there must be a metaphor."
/p
Prince Yue directly asked me, "Do you want to hide away from the capital for a while?"
/p
I smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness is setting a trap for me. If I were to go sightseeing, I would naturally be more than happy to do so. But if you want me to go out with an imperial edict on my back, then I would rather stay in the capital and deal with the affairs of the household."
/p
No matter how I deal with the affairs of a woman in the inner residence, it's just the result of people gossiping behind my back. But if I go out, my life will be in danger.
/p
Prince Yue sighed softly. He took two steps forward and said to me, "Actually, how could I not know what you are thinking? It's just that I can help you block Imperial Father's imperial edict, but I can't stop you from kissing Imperial Father."
/p
"I can block it for a while, but let me be free for a while."
/p
Prince Yue smiled and said, "I will do as you wish."
/p
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It seems that Prince Yue really did help me block a difficult task. I was pleasantly surprised and said, "Your Highness really dotes on me. But Your Highness, I didn't accept the task of Guan Zhongsheng Village. The Emperor of Guan Zhongsheng Village also can't be trusted. Who was it that risked their lives to accept this task?"
/p
"It was Imperial Uncle Yan Ru who accompanied Yan daren. He asked to go to Guan Zhongsheng Village to take up the post of a border official."
/p
I said, "This is the second matter Your Highness wanted to discuss with me."
/p
Prince Yue sat down on a chair. His finger lightly tapped on the table. After a while, he said to me, "This is indeed the second matter I wanted to discuss with you. Today, I was discussing matters with Imperial Father. Imperial Uncle Yan asked to take up the post of Guan Zhongsheng Village. This move was really dangerous. At the time, I couldn't guess what he was thinking."
/p
I said, "Did the Emperor permit it?"
/p
"Imperial Father permitted it."
/p
I touched the table and said, "Why do I feel like the Emperor and his brother-in-law have already discussed this matter. Perhaps they were just putting on a show in front of you. The Emperor has wanted to investigate Guan Zhongsheng for a long time. Now that Old Madam Tang has bumped into the muzzle of the gun, the Tang family has been exterminated. This is the perfect time for the Emperor to close the net. "
/p
Prince Yue said, "I didn't have this guess. Because Guan Zhongsheng Village is really treacherous. Imperial Uncle Yan isn't someone who dares to take risks."
/p
Yue Wangye's words were quite tactful. He reckoned that Yan Guojiu was a ruthless person who was wise to save his own skin. If there was no fuse to spur him forward, he would not dare to rashly take on this task of unknown life and death.
/p
Then where was the fuse?
/p
Prince Yue and I suddenly raised our heads and looked at each other. The two of us spoke in unison, "The Seventh Prince."
/p
Now that the Seventh Prince has become like this, the Empress and Imperial Uncle Yan have already suspected Guan Zhongsheng Village. It's a pity that I was fooled around in the Empress' bedroom today. It turns out that they were just fooling me into putting on a show.
/p
I was so angry that I screamed. I leaned on the table and refused to get up.
/p
Prince Yue couldn't help but laugh, "What are you doing?"
/p
"I was fooled too much. I'm sad."
/p
At this moment, the dishes were almost all served. Prince Yue gently supported my shoulder and then used his strength to bring me to the table. The table was full of delicious dishes. I was very happy to see them.
/p
Prince Yue sat on my left and personally poured me a bowl of dried bamboo shoot duck soup. "Are you still sad?"
/p
"I'm not sad."
/p
Prince Yue smiled and commented softly, "You're so easy to coax."
/p
I rolled my eyes at him. Did he think I didn't hear him?
/p
Don't talk when eating, don't talk when sleeping. I felt that this saying was mostly to ensure that the dishes were edible. After all, no matter how delicious the food was, if it was tasted by a diner full of thoughts, then it would taste like chewing wax in the mouth. Therefore, during the meal, Prince Yue and I coincidentally stopped our discussion of important matters and talked about some trivial matters with a deadpan expression.
/p
I said, "Just now, Imperial Uncle Yan's wife sent an invitation to see a play tomorrow. I was so scared that I hurriedly replied."
/p
Prince Yue said, "It's good that you replied. Just now, there was a case of rebellion. At this moment, the court is quietly holding their breaths. They can't wait to clear their hearts and carry a Buddhist scripture with them. Their family is good. They dare to hold a banquet with great fanfare on a big day."
/p
I was startled, "According to what the Prince said, Imperial Uncle Yan's family is too presumptuous."
/p
Prince Yue stuffed a piece of roe deer meat into his mouth. After chewing carefully, he swallowed and said to me, "So what if they are too presumptuous? They can't accuse or impeach. They can only say a few words behind people's backs. On the surface, they are still tolerable."
/p
I thought about it and felt that he was right. I changed the topic and asked, "What kind of opera troupe does their family have? I think they are very proud. "
/p
Prince Yue was well-informed. Even if it was someone else's opera troupe, he would still be able to say something. "Imperial Uncle Yan specially went to Jiangnan to buy this troupe. It is said that the troupe sings the authentic Kun Opera of the Wu language. Moreover, they specialize in singing the new Kun Opera of Kun Mountain's Wei Liangfu after ten years of seclusion. The people of Jiangnan call it Shuimo Opera. This kind of opera is low, gentle, and pleasant to the ear.
/p
My interest was immediately piqued. "Really?"
/p
Prince Yue put down his chopsticks. His eyes were filled with the warm yellow candlelight. When he raised his head, the light from the candlelight flickered and scattered into small fragments. When I looked at him, my heart softened. It was as if my brain was stuffed with cotton. I couldn't catch anything else. My ears could only hear him smile and reply, "Really."
/p
I suppressed my laughter and pretended to sigh, "That's even worse."
/p
I couldn't fool Prince Yue with this act of mine. However, he also pretended to be nervous. He asked me, "What's wrong?"
/p
"I rejected the invitation from Imperial Uncle Yan's family. We won't be able to watch such a good show."
/p
After we finished eating, the servants cleared the table. I felt a little dizzy. I had eaten a lot in the afternoon. The prince helped me stand up and refused to lean against the bed. He said that he was afraid of indigestion. Actually, Prince Yue was also drooling when he looked at the bed. The two of us were so busy that we felt dizzy.
/p
But standing wasn't a solution. The more tired one was, the more likely one would be to fall asleep. Thus, I suggested to Prince Yue, "Why don't we take a walk outside? Not only can it help with digestion, it can also strengthen our bodies."
/p
Prince Yue thought that it was a good idea. He took me with him and we walked out of the courtyard.
/p
Prince Yue called this courtyard 'Ting Yuan'. It was decorated in accordance with the standards of the imperial family. The corridors were curled back and forth, and the palace lanterns hung high. Red and gold tassels fluttered in the wind. It was just that the trees in the courtyard were too small. Although they were lush and verdant, most of them were short shrubs. In comparison, I was reminded of the large trees in my small, shabby courtyard when I was in the Tang family.
/p
I smiled openly, and the Prince of Yue asked me openly: "You never rest on your melon seeds. No wonder you haven't gained the slightest bit of flesh after being raised in the mansion for two months. Speak, what crafty idea do you have this time?"
/p
I said, "I remember that before you were married, the large trees in my courtyard became your habitual resting place. Now, our courtyard in the prince's mansion is naturally ten times better than mine, but you can no longer find the joy of climbing trees in the past."
/p
Prince Yue said, "It's because the dense trees are good for hiding people. That's why I don't have any in my courtyard. The Prince of Yue is not like the Tang Residence. He did not use the fireflies to set up defenses around his residence. "
/p
I said, "No matter how good the defense is, when the time comes to confiscate your property and exterminate your family, won't you still obediently surrender?"
/p
As soon as I said that, Prince Yue's body suddenly shook and he stopped walking. I hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen in the Tang family again? "
/p
Prince Yue said, "No, it's just a little strange. When I was ordered to confiscate your property, I was prepared, but there was no trace of the fireflies. I originally thought that it was because Madam Tang Zou and Tang Min were dead, so no one could control the fireflies. But now that I think about it, is there a little Madam Tang Zou in the Tang Residence who knows how to control fireflies? "
/p
The little Madam Tang he mentioned was undoubtedly Madam Tang. Madam Tang and Madam Tang were aunt and niece. They both came from Guan Zhongsheng Village and married into the Tang family. Naturally, they were both Madam Tang and Madam Tang.
/p
I said, "You don't have much contact with Madam Tang, so you naturally don't know how powerful she is. She is Madam Tang's niece, the next Holy Maiden of Madam Tang from Guan Zhongsheng Village. She is a person who is kind on the surface but ruthless on the inside. Why, when the family was confiscated and exterminated this time, did she obediently surrender? "
/p
"The womenfolk were gathered in the Qiushi Temple and taken away together. I remember that Madam Tang was still kneeling in the temple and chanting scriptures. She didn't move at all when she was put on the carriage."
/p
I said to Prince Yue, "This is not right."
/p
Prince Yue's eyes darkened. "Yes, it's not right. Tomorrow is the day of the execution. She can't make trouble again."
/p
I remembered Tang Chengjue's disgusting appearance when he was forced to become a firefly bomb in front of the tent hall. I panicked a little, "The whole mansion was used as a defense. Could it be that all of them were placed in the body by Mrs. Zou of Tang Chengjue? Was she planning to fight to the death when she was beheaded?"
/p
Prince Yue sneered and said, "If that's the case, it will be good. At least her life will be explained clearly."
/p
I was shocked. "Your Highness, do you mean that the Madam Tang Chengjue in the prison at the moment is just a puppet, and the real Madam Tang Chengjue has already escaped?"
/p
Prince Yue took my hand and said reluctantly, "I can't take a nap with you."
/p
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